Food for thought walk
For those who are enthusiasts of Ireland’s ancient past, the Ennis Gourmet History Walking Tour will be right up your street. The walk takes attendees on a journey that serves as an edible experience of the town’s past and present.
The tour, led by Jane O’Brien of the award-winning Ennis Walking Tours, traces the evolution of the market town of Ennis and unravels the secrets of the tradition and creativity of the history of Irish food. From the simple diet of our ancestors and the enormous impact of the potato famine to the modern cuisine of today this 70-minute stroll through the picturesque old streets and bow-ways of Ennis will awaken one’s senses to the tastes, smells and history of this unique market town.
Having begun on September 1, it runs until Saturday, November 30.
To make a booking, see enniswalkingtours.com or call 00353876483714.
Smiling into old age
It’s often said that smiling makes you feel better, but it turns out that high positivity is strongly linked with a longer lifespan.
A new study carried out in the US has revealed that those who are more optimistic have a higher chance of living, and past the age of 85. After researchers analysed the data of aged group over a set period of time, they found that the females and males with the highest levels of optimism lived on average 11-15% longer than those with the lowest levels of optimism. In addition, those with these high levels had a 50-70% greater likelihood of living until their 85th birthday and beyond.
“Considering psychosocial pathways, more optimistic individuals may experience less extreme emotional reactivity to, and faster recovery from, acute stressors,” write the authors.
“Together with other work,” they propose, “our findings suggest optimism serves as a psychological resource that promotes health and longevity.”
Wakey, wakey, rise and shine!
A bed always seems more comfortable early in the morning, especially when it’s a Monday and a full day of school is awaiting you.
It’s normal for children to find it difficult to wake up at this time, so setting alarm is an efficient way to get any sleep addict awake and ready to face the day. However, alarms do have their setbacks given that they make a loud noise unexpectedly which startles the sleeper, aggravating them, which usually results in a forceful and repetitive push of the snooze button.
This isn’t a problem with new alarm clocks on the market today which gradually become louder and can simulate noises found in nature.
The Akai FM Radio Alarm Clock with Sunrise Simulator A61023 does just this, and also has different brightness level settings so it can feel like waking up to a sunny day every day.
